Finally some photos of the Shetlands

[Steve.R]

I hope this works - these two are Polo (16yrs) and Bobby(5yrs) in their field (all you can see into the distance is their field - it is 60acres of rough moorland which our 6 share with 200 sheep!) They are in their element as they can live almost like wild horses in it (they still come to the gate for their dinner though)

Esther

[Steve.R]

Oh, I forgot to say - Bobby is the piebald and Polo is the palamino/chestnut. I'll try to get photos of the others scanned.

Esther

[Mary Ann Bright]

Awww... they're so cute!! I especially like Polo, though! :D :)

[Wally]

Looks very much like the terrain our live on, as you say 100 acres to play in and they hang around the gate waiting for dinner!

[Kerry's Partner]

Is that what they're saying? They are SO gorgeous and their eyes on just ON you aren't they?

[Jay.o]

wow - i wish we could could 60 acres to play in !!
actually - its bad enough when timmmy and blacky escape now in their paddock ! if the escaped in that i dont think i could ever find him again!! :( :( :(

anyway nice pictures !!!
they are both really nice but bobby is so cute !!!!!!

[Steve.R]

I'm glad you like them, I'll try to find more photos.

In the photo the Shetlands were watching us with Rupert and Pablo outside the gate, we were taking them for a walk - well Pablo was going for a walk as he is still a bit nervous of people so we try to keep up regular non-stressful contact with him. Rupert came too but he just ran loose like a dog! We have the advantage of 4 miles of private fenced and gated tracks around the field so you can do that with them, Rupert and the shetlands will all come along like that with no tack on!

I have had Polo for ten years and he is an absolute star, he is 16 now and has a little bit of arthritis in his knees but when he was younger he could give the horses a run for their money in the local club driving trials - as part of a pair with Mac (now 22!) we won the points championship and the championship event in the same year (with no allowance in the club for small ponies, or even ponies - we were all in one class regardless of height!).

I'm hoping to start competing again this year with the younger generation Bobby (5) and Gallie (11) as a tandem.

As well as driving the older ones have been ridden occasionally by children and by me (I am only 5ft). Polo can do Western riding, jumping (not with me on!) and is very good at gymkhana games (he is my most multi-talented - I have never met another like him).

As anyone who has had small ponies will know, you do need discipline and a sense of humour - Gallie steals things and hides them and they can all undo knots and bolts and are terrible attention seekers so will do anything for laughs
Esther:D

[Emma_G_NZ]

They are so cute!
I will get some more photos of my shetland, Ben, at the show for you shetland owners to look at :D

[vyvyen]

Dear Ester,

They are absolutely lovely. What a perfect natural life they have, mine would love that amount of room to roam around in, I'm jealous;) We are only on 7 acres:mad:

[apache37]

Hi
the piccis are really lovely,
we have 2 minitures colours and they are full of mischeivment,and they give you so much love
thanks for sharing your photos

[Wally]

apache37, I think you have hit the nail on the head, Shetlands do, indeed, drive you mad with thier devilry and cheek, but when it all boils down to it they are incredibly soppy and loving.

I bought Ramnaberg Andy ("Pants") as a foal from the sales with 3 others for £10 each with a view to selling them on as a driving ponies. When it came to it I coudn't part with him as he is such a character. He is now a ride and drive 5 YO but with such ability as a driving horse. There are times I could strangle him, then he looks at me with his wicked grin and I am reduced to giggles.

He knows exactly which buttons to press to get folk enraged, then he can defuse everyone with a sweet, innocent act like collectiong up he cones in the indoor school, or standing on a Warhorse jump bucket with his front legs like a circus elephant.

I know he is only a little pony by most folks measure, but I have such a soft spot for him, if anything was to happen to him I'd be lost. I have been offered an open cheque for him, like the fool I am I refused. I'll never be rich.

[Steve.R]

I was offered a cheque for Bobby that wasn't quite as extreme as an open cheque but it was at least 6x what I paid for him (although he wasn't as cheap as Wally's bargains!). So I'll never get rich either - but they are such characters, they are more like family....

Esther

[Jay.o]

i was offered a deal of money for timmy but couldnt do it !
i said no before i even heard the amount !



she owns an animal film place, most of her animals are in tv shows, the lenny henry show and smack the pony and props and not sure about the animals in harry potter ! she wanted him to train further as he is such a good horse for his age and bomproof ! he would have a fantastic home, but i wuv him lot and lots !!! [soppy cow ! lol :D :D :D ]

yeh anyway, i like your shetlands !!!!
i love all shetlands.

but...
....do you two find that when they are naughty and you shout or get in a stress [i admit i have a couple of times] they look at you with the cutest little face and who could stay mad at them with that face ????

i think in the wrong hands a shetland could get away with anything !! they know how far they can go and suppose go all the way with some people !!!! LOL !! :D :D :D :D

[Steve.R]

Shetlands are great. They drive you mad then grin at you/look cute (delete as applicable depending on your Shetland's character!) I think they do go all the way with some people and that is why they get the reputation for naughtiness and nippiness. But a well brought up shetland (as you know) is an absolute star (even if they do still drive you mad at times) :D

I think their most awkward habit at the moment is undoing other horses rugs! Luckily we have our own field and are not sharing :D

They also like to run off with things that I am trying to use. Bobby thinks he is a horse and always hangs around with the largest horse in any group he is with! This means that he can get away with loads as Pablo is the boss and Bobby + Rupert (NForest) are his 'gang'. He even steals food out of their mouths;)

Esther

[Jay.o]

timmy's latest 'trick' is unlosking the gate [not with a key just undoing it] and i know it sounds tacky but we put a bugee cord around it so he couldnt get out once he has un done the gate ! lol
he normally does it when i arrive in the car.
i think he would put the headcoller on himself if he could ! lol :D :D
he gives a cute look and gets away with absolutely everything with my mum. !!

and i think you know that he wouldnt go past that filly so i went another route as i thought that maybe he was bored of going the same way aswell, well today i carried my crop and when he didnt move, i wacked my boot so it made a noise and he came perfectly, not a slip up on the way or on the way back !!

i would dream of hitting a horse [any horse] with a crop, just a smack on a boot does it for me really and dont have to do it that often either, i dont think he will be stubborn anymore !!! lol

i couldnt hit him with it anyway, hes my baby boy !!! :D :D :D :D

yeh so i have solved that problem hopefully and with out too much force aswell !!!!

how are your two sheties then ????

[Steve.R]

The Shelties are fine, but I think Bobby has been taking ideas from Timmy as he seems to be feeling the cold - so I may have to eat my words from the other thread (when I said that youngsters generally never need rugs) - there is always the exception that proves the rule:D
Mac (22) is thriving without a rug, as are the others..all except the youngest...so I think he may have to have the horse equivalent of an anorak ;) while the weather is so wet.

Mine can open gates too - can yours undo knots? That is another favourite of my Shelties! They are funny :D

Esther

[Jay.o]

timmy can undo the quick release knots by just pulling on the loose end, but i started tucking the loose end in the loop ! :D

can your undo gates ?
timmy gets out with the other ponies and grazes there !
you can see blacky in the background as if to be saying
"OHH...Timmy, jay will shout at you if do that !!
and recently its been like
"Timmy. you know what i am going to say. dont ! "
hes just ignores it now and bored ! lol

what other tricks do they get up to !

oh tim escaped and tipped over the bin in the feed room and ate nearly a bag of happy hoof and some nuts !!!!! grrr... lol

i think shet;ands learn quick and are very clever ! ;)

but he does seem to get bored of little things, like jumping the same jump or going the same route on our walks !

i would like to try something new with him in the spring but dont really have a clue of what to do ! :(
what do you do with yours ?

i would also like to do some basic training/schooling with him but also i am stuck with what to do with him. i dont want to push him too hard but i want him to 'learn' and want it to be a bit of fun aswell !! :D :D :D any ideas ? lol !

[Esther.D]

Will have to have a think about new things to do - we generally go for different walks (we are lucky, I know that not everyone has loads to choose from) or play games, make obstacle courses to teach scary things (such as polythene bags hanging up, going between buckets on the ground) and we vary the jumps from cross poles to spreads, to doubles etc etc (and all only about 6 inches high or so for the babies!!) There is no reason why you can't occasionally build a whole show jumping course in miniature for him - we don't have proper jumps so I use any wood/sticks etc (that don't have nails or spiky branches on them) up on buckets or even on other logs/stones, it is amazing what you can improvise.

I have to tuck the ends in on my quick release knots too and that puzzles them all except Gallie who works away until he undoes even that!

You are right they are very clever and get bored very easily...and if they are like mine they are very attention seeking and get jealous of each other if one gets more attention than the others!
I know what you mean about wanting to get caught - they all try to get their head in the headcollar at once!

Esther

[Jay.o]

shetlands are loveable with the right people.
but they can be hell with the wrong people ! lol
i tied a knot in the end of the lead rope so now he cant get that through the loop easily at all now, and gets bored and gives up !
try that it may work !

in books and magazines it says 'how to catch your horse' like dont show the lead rope and halter stuff, i wave it about and gallopping along theres timmy !!!
it never says 'how to put your horse back in the paddock' i have great difficulty with that i need help [maybe i will start a new thread ! ;) ] he gives me hell !!
hes a 'people' horse, love the attention !!!

[Esther.D]

We have the same 'catching' problem, especially as Pablo is hard to catch - and it makes it even harder when you find that the headcollar you are hiding behind your back now has two Shetlands in it (Pablo is 16hh!) :D

[Jay.o]

i can just imagine when you turn round that these two shetlands are fighting to get in it !
and they do their cute inocent little faces as if to say
"it was him, he made me put my head in it, i didnt want to, honest !"

[Esther.D]

A quick update on the shelties! Polo is sound again, his knees are absolutely fine, no stiffness at all. So he may be continuing his competition career this year after all:D I'm aiming to use him in the tandem with Gallie at a couple of events before I replace his place in the tandem with Bobby - as any driver knows two novices in a tandem at their first competition could be very 'interesting' to say the least:D .

Also my two laminitics are still looking slim, fit and completely sound!!!!Fingers crossed as it gets closer to the dreaded spring grass.